News
The Chronicle - Centralia
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Newest statue in Chehalis dedicated to the W.F. West girls fastpitch team
Former Chehalis Foundation President Mike Austin and his wife, Susan, see their grandkids represented in every corner of Recreation Park in Chehalis. Three of their granddaughters dance together outside the Chet and Henrietta Rhodes Spray Park. Another granddaughter sits on the counter inside the Gail and Carolyn Shaw Aquatics Center. Their two grandsons play on a tree at Penny Playground. Their youngest granddaughter, a baseball player currently playing in Michigan, arrived in the park earlier this year and now stands near the entrance to the ballfields. Of course, the children aren’t actually living in the park. They are represented in the form of bronze statues donated by the Austins through the Chehalis Foundation. “I always think that they really enhance the city,” Mike Austin said of the statues. While the statues are meant to honor the Austins’ grandkids, the couple hopes other kids in Chehalis can see themselves represented. “We have said to other people, ‘If you want to tell your grandkids that’s them, we have no problem with that,’” Susan Austin said. The statue of a female athlete is dedicated to the W.F. West girls fastpitch team, which Mike Austin lauded as one of the best sports programs in the area. “The girls have had a winning program for the last 40 years … I think I enjoy the girls fastpitch (games) more than any other sport they’re doing here,” he said. The female baseball player is likely the last statue the Austins will donate to Recreation Park for the time being, as her addition means that all their grandkids are now represented in the park. “This has been something that we've wanted to do, and it took a long time to find the right one,” Mike Austin said of adding the statue of the female baseball player. The statue was ultimately purchased from an artist in Chicago and shipped to Chehalis. “You’ve got to find the right one, and I think we did,” Mike Austin said.
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Sports Dump: A District Championship Trophy is an Elusive Treasure
The sports crew (Dylan, Zach, and Aaron) discuss a tough set of district championship baseball games, the winding down of softball’s regular season, and who’s doing what in state baseball. Zach may have done a roadkill and in search of a sandwich. The baseball brackets are set and interesting. |
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Lewis County reports more than 5.6 million visitors in 2023
More than 5.6 million people visited Lewis County last year, an uptick of 5.8% over 2022, according to data from Discover Lewis County, a tourism initiative created by the county and now operated by the Economic Alliance of Lewis County. Highlighting the 41st annual National Travel and Tourism Week, the organization released its destination summary report for 2023 earlier this month. According to Discover Lewis County, the report compiles data to track the impact visitors have on the country's economy, community and growth. “National Travel and Tourism Week is a time to acknowledge the role that travel plays in our community,” Todd Chaput, initiatives program manager at the Economic Alliance of Lewis County, stated in a news release. “Tourism fuels our economy, benefits local businesses and improves the quality of life for our citizens. We’re grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge its impact in Lewis County.” According to the destination report, 54.53% of visitors to Lewis County came from within Washington while 45.47% traveled from outside of the state. The top markets that visitors came from were the Seattle and Tacoma area, Portland and Yakima/Tri-Cities. The three most common points of interest were Mount Rainier, the Centralia shopping districts and the Chehalis shopping districts. The most common time to visit Lewis County was in June, July and August. In November, Discover Lewis County announced a revamped digital strategy as the organization looks to capitalize on tourism. Discover Lewis County also introduced merchandise for each town in Lewis County. The expansion of town-specific marketing will also include new tabs on the Discover Lewis County website and brochures for each community as the organization looks to establish unique brands for each town. Learn more about the Economic Alliance of Lewis County at https://lewiscountyalliance.org/. Discover Lewis County’s online offerings can be found at https://discoverlewiscounty.com/. |
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Teenager faces possible charges after two-vehicle crash on state Route 7 near Morton 
A 17-year-old Eatonville boy is facing possible reckless driving charges after he allegedly caused a two-vehicle crash on state Route 7 near Morton on Sunday. A 20-year-old Eatonville man who was a passenger in the 17-year-old’s vehicle was transported to Arbor Health Morton Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. No other injuries were reported. The 17-year-old was reportedly driving a black 2023 Chevrolet Malibu southbound on state Route 7 when he “began to pass multiple vehicles at a high rate (of speed) in the oncoming lane and in a no passing zone,” according to the Washington State Patrol. The Chevrolet eventually struck a 2011 Ford F-350 driven by a 70-year-old Morton man in the southbound lane and crashed into a guardrail before coming to rest partially in the southbound lane. The Ford came to rest on the right shoulder. The crash was reported at 2:55 p.m. on May 12, according to the Washington State Patrol, which has determined that no drugs or alcohol were involved and that the causes of the crash were passing in a no passing zone and driving at speeds too fast for conditions. |
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Thurston County Planning Commission to hold public hearing on code change for sex offender housing
The Thurston County Planning Commission will host a public hearing next month on code changes for Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) Housing, an alternative to total confinement for offenders a court deems no longer classify as a sexually violent predator (SVP). The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 5. If adopted, the new code would outline the requirements and standards for LRA facilities owned and operated by a private provider. SVPs are defined as offenders who suffer from a “mental abnormality or personality disorder which makes the person likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence” and are considered the most likely to reoffend. According to the Planning Commission, county governments can require notification of nearby businesses and residences when a request to change building use to LRA housing has been submitted, provide opportunities for public feedback and require facilities to meet building codes. Washington law, however, prevents a county from denying a proposed building use change request based solely on it being LRA sex offender housing. Public comment is due by noon on Wednesday, June 5. To submit a comment, visit surveymonkey.com/r/CSN7YDF. Additional meeting information will be posted one week before the hearing at thurstoncountywa.gov/planning-commission. The hearing will take place in Room 110 of the Atrium of Thurston County, located at 3000 Pacific Ave SE. in Olympia. The proposed code change comes after residents in Tenino rallied against a proposed LRA facility in January 2023. After extended backlash, the third-party operator that planned the facility announced it would not move forward. During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers from the 35th District introduced a proposal that would have required post-sentence housing for sexually violent predators to be owned, operated or contracted through the state, which they say would improve oversight. After House Bill 2093 failed to advance out of committee, Sen. Drew MacEwen and Reps. Dan Griffey and Travis Couture said they plan to introduce similar legislation in 2025. |
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Chehalis Flying Saucer Party organizers shoot commercial ahead of announcement of speakers
The theme for the fourth annual Chehalis Flying Saucer Party has already been announced as “disclosure.” Event organizers were out on Saturday, May 11, in downtown Chehalis recording a speaker announcement commercial as they prepare to disclose the speakers for this year’s Flying Saucer Party, scheduled for Sept. 13 and 14. The speakers will be announced June 24, the 77th anniversary of Chehalis resident Kenneth Arnold’s historic 1947 UFO sighting, which the Flying Saucer Party commemorates. The Flying Saucer Party is being organized by the Lewis County Historical Museum along with Vince Ynzunza, director of the Pacific Northweird YouTube channel and a local paranormal investigator. Along with the traditional Flying Saucer Party events — the saucer drop, speaker panel, vendors, a procession and afterparty — this year’s Flying Saucer Party will also feature the second annual Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest, which began accepting submissions earlier this year. So far, 13 films have been submitted for the film festival, Ynzunza said. “We have more than two hours of footage already,” Ynzunza said. Custom trophies, bragging rights and a $300 cash prize are up for grabs. The deadline for submission is Aug. 18. Submitted films must be 30 minutes or shorter and must be related to the UFO genre, meaning they can be about UFOs, extraterrestrials, men in black, alien invasions or alien technology. Last year’s inaugural Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest audience favorite along with winner of best documentary was Stuck In Orbit. The film features John Henricksen, under the moniker “Burt Burtson,” who claims to have been abducted as he attempts to get people to believe his story. Henrickson made the film with the help of his family, including his grandson, Enoch Lui, who directed the film. Stuck In Orbit can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/868014471. To submit an entry, visit https://filmfreeway.com/NWFlyingSaucerFilmFest. All filmmakers must be based in the Pacific Northwest in Washington, Oregon, Idaho or British Columbia.
Kenneth Arnold’s fateful flight When Arnold took to the skies over Southwest Washington on June 24, 1947, he had no idea his flight would still be discussed well beyond his own lifetime. What was supposed to be a routine flight from Chehalis to Yakima and then to Pendleton, Oregon, in his single-engine CalAir A-2 airplane turned into anything but routine. After departing from Chehalis about 20 miles west of Mount Rainier, somewhere near Mineral, he saw a bright flash in the northeast. Initially, Arnold thought it was light reflecting off the metallic wings of another aircraft, but after more flashes appeared, he got a better look and quickly realized he wasn’t witnessing any known conventional craft. Arnold saw nine metallic objects flying in an echelon formation stretching nearly 5 miles. From his observations, each object appeared to be circular, roughly 100 feet in diameter, with no discernable flight control surfaces. The objects would periodically perform various aerial maneuvers including flips, banks and weaves. Though it was only an estimate, Arnold knew the distance between Mount Rainier to Mount Adams and timed the objects as they traveled between the peaks. He calculated their airspeed to be at least 1,500 mph, more than twice as fast as any aircraft of the time. In fact, the sound barrier had yet to be broken. That happened later that same year in October when the famous U.S. Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager exceeded it for the first time flying his Bell X-1 at 767 mph. Arnold co-authored a book titled “The Coming Of The Saucers” in which he detailed his sighting, but despite the book and a lifetime of investigation, he never discovered what those objects were. He passed away in 1984. To this day, nobody knows what Arnold saw in the skies above Mount Rainier, which eventually came to be known as “flying saucers” after an East Oregonian article used the words “saucer-like aircraft” to describe them the day after Arnold’s sighting. Chehalis residents began celebrating Arnold’s sighting with a “saucer drop” during the Krazy Days festival in the 1960s and 70s, but the tradition was eventually forgotten until the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party revived it in 2019. Aside from the Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest and saucer drop event, the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party features speakers from throughout the paranormal investigative world along with special UFO-themed displays at the Lewis County Historical Museum. For more information, visit https://www.flyingsaucerparty.org/ or follow the Chehalis Flying Saucer Party on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/flyingsaucerparty.
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Columbian Newspaper
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At Westminster dog show, a display of dogs and devotion
NEW YORK — Less than three years ago, Mary Ann and David Giordano were taking turns lying on the living room floor with their Afghan hound Frankie, hand-feeding the desperately ill dog anything she would eat. |
NYT Politics
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Can This Never Trumper Find a Future in the Republican Party?
Hogan’s Senate run will test whether there is a path forward for a Trump critic in 2024.
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White House Says Israel Still Has Provided No Plan to Protect Rafah Civilians
The national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, also said Israel had yet to connect its military operations to a plan for the future governance of Gaza.
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Driver of U-Haul That Hit White House Security Barriers Pleads Guilty
Sai Varshith Kandula faces up to 10 years in prison on a charge of damaging property. He said he had been planning to install himself as a Nazi-inspired dictator, killing President Biden if needed.
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